Reports

Samarth-NMDP is committed to sharing its best practices and lessons learned. In this section, you will find our most recent updates from the field, various case studies, research as well as more technical documents related to our programme.

In line with Samarth – NMDP program's aims to improve the underlying pro-poor performance of tourism in Nepal and usher in systemic changes to how the industry operates, the creation of a framework was needed to bring improvement in the standards (product and service delivery) and market performance of enterprises through certification of core tourism ventures, which will ultimately result in the increase of income for rural tourism workers and entrepreneurs.

Impacts of poor quality of raw milk are reflected in short shelf-life of processed products, limited range of finished dairy products in the market, reduced opportunity to supply milk in export markets, and additional costs incurred in food preparation which is borne by the processors and the consumers. In order to address the above-mentioned constraints, Samarth-NMDP is building the capacity of the stakeholders to improve the quality standards of raw milk through an action research on the raw milk supply chain in six pilot sites.

Though Nepal is the third largest ginger producer in the world with high export potential in the international spice market, ginger exports is only limited to India with little or no value addition. There is a general lack of market information on quality parameters of ginger grown across Nepal. This has been identified as a major constraint for marketing Nepali ginger to wider export markets comprising of industrial buyers in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic business.

Ginger is one of the sectors in which Samarth-NMDP is focusing its efforts for strategic development to have a positive and sustainable impact on poor farmers and rural entrepreneurs in Nepal. Realizing the importance of ginger export industry as one of the pillars of the strategy to develop the sector, Samarth embarked on a study to assess opportunities of Nepalese ginger and its derivative products in the international market, namely Japan, Dubai and the Netherlands.

Samarth-NMDP has been working in the ginger sector since its inception in late 2012. It has identified this sector as having potential to contribute to the overall programme objective of poverty reduction. This research was conducted to understand the viability of differentiated ginger in the Indian market and the potential of economic trickledown effect to smallholder farmers.

Artificial insemination in pigs is potentially a very hygienic and effective means for fertilization and conception. It eliminates the possible transfer of infection from direct contact with the boar. Samarth-NMDP has collaborated in partnership with all five GPS farms in Nepal to initiate and strengthen artificial insemination in pigs with frozen boar semen imported from Swine Genetic International, USA.

The Aid Industry has come on a long way in the 11 years since the Asian Tsunami, especially in the development of cash-based recovery mechanisms. These were very much in their infancy then, but are commonplace now in situations where conditions such as functional markets, and access to them, deems them to be appropriate. Today there are several toolkits and platforms to help programmes manage cash and voucher schemes, and toolkits to help implementers2.

The pig sector in Nepal is widespread and mainly characterized by small-scale, mixed farms. Pig farming is dominated by small household (HH) production units of 1-2 pigs, which accounted for 86% (464,200 HH) of all households raising pigs in 2011. Production is typically low-input low-output, using unimproved breeds. The most common sources of pig feed are food industry by-products, kitchen waste, and grain by-products. Pigs therefore serve to convert limited waste and by-products of low value into high value food for consumption or/and sale.

In line with Samarth’s Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI) strategy, this qualitative study was carried out to investigate the actual situation of women in vegetable farming households. This information would help Samarth’s vegetable sector team to fine-tune interventions so that they actually reach and benefit these women, and to ensure that impact upon women at the household level can be measured.

This is a synopsis of the Report on the assessment of the Annapurna region’s main trekking routes for structural and geotechnical earthquake-related damage. The assessment was funded by Samarth-NMDP, a program supported by UKaid, and conducted on behalf of the Government of Nepal through the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. Approximately 30 bridges and 30 villages with
approximately 250 accommodations were assessed in the region.